Atlantic Canada digging out from massive winter storm

Cleanup efforts are underway in Eastern Canada following a paralyzing winter storm that knocked out power, cancelled flights and left some areas flooded.

Newfoundland and Labrador saw winds of up to 100 km/m and 35 centimetres of snow in parts of the province on Sunday, as blowing snow made for near zero visibility on roadways.

As residents begin to dig themselves out from the mounds of snow left in the storm’s wake, Environment Canada is forecasting another 10 to 15 centimetres of snowfall in St. John’s over the next two days.

A number of flights out of airports across Atlantic Canada were cancelled over the weekend, leaving a backlog of travellers waiting to fly in and out of the region. However, airports in St. John's and Halifax are only reporting a few flight cancellations today.

The heavy snowfall and high winds that hit Nova Scotia on Saturday caused a storm surge that left parts of the province flooded.

In the coastal town of Shelburne, which is known for its historic centuries-old buildings, a rise in sea water sent water gushing onto the streets, damaging the nearby wharfs.

Halifax recorded a high-water level of 2.76 metres, which according to Environment Canada falls within the top five recorded levels, while high winds knocked out power to some 21,000 homes and businesses.

“The headline out of this storm seems to be the storm surge,” CTV’s Todd Battis told Canada AM on Monday.

“We talk about climate change and one of the things we keep harping on is sea level rise, and that combined with high tides made a real mess in Shelburne,” Battis said from Halifax.

Meanwhile, south of the border life is returning to normal following the weekend storm that is being blamed for 13 deaths in the U.S. Northeast.

At the height of the storm, an estimated 650,000 homes and businesses from New York to Maine were in the dark as the gusting winds knocked out power lines.

By Monday morning outages had dropped to 149,970 -- more than 126,000 of them in Massachusetts.

As much as 76 centimetres of snow was recorded in Long Island, which shut down roads and highways. Authorities say the roadways were re-opened Monday morning, in time for the rush hour commute.